Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has urged Americans to take to the streets ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, calling for protests against Donald Trump and arguing that the president’s war in the Middle East has failed.
The Guard’s spokesman said demonstrators should condemn what he described as the U.S. government’s war-driven policies. He also called on Americans to “revise their decision” about the leaders they elect.
In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, Israeli settlers rioted as they tried to stop a Palestinian man, escorted by Israeli forces, from returning to his home in the village of Jalud. The settlers threw stones, blocked roads and set Palestinian property ablaze.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Full coverage is available here.
Iranian official urges Americans to reconsider their leaders
Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, held a news conference Tuesday in Tehran, Iran’s capital, where he read from what he described as a “letter to the American people.”
Reading from the prepared statement, Mohebbi said the war could end only if Washington acknowledged defeat and withdrew. The message appeared aimed at the U.S. public just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections for the Senate and House of Representatives, a vote in which Trump’s Republican Party faces significant challenges in its effort to retain control of Congress.
In later comments to The Associated Press, Mohebbi called on Americans to protest Trump’s policies in the streets.
He alleged that the United States was using Iran’s nuclear program as a pretext to “plunder Iran’s wealth” and turn the country “back into a colony.” Mohebbi said U.S. military action and economic sanctions would not force Tehran to surrender.
Iran’s currency also fell to a new record low Tuesday. Traders in Tehran were exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for one U.S. dollar, underscoring the conflict’s continued impact on the country’s economy.
The rial’s latest slide followed its previous low of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2. The currency has set repeated records since the war began in February.
Settlers prevent Palestinian man from returning to his West Bank home
More than 100 Israeli settlers clashed with Israeli soldiers attempting to escort a Palestinian man back to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud.
Mahmoud Tubasi, the homeowner, told the AP that soldiers initially brought him to the property. However, rioting settlers forced him and his family to leave in a military vehicle. Tubasi said he remains unable to enter the house, which settlers have surrounded for two months.
Israel’s military confirmed that the overnight effort to return the family “was not completed.” It said three officers were injured after settlers threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire.
Israeli police said three settlers were arrested on suspicion of taking part in the riot. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog, condemned the violence.
The Israeli military has struggled to contain the latest surge in settler violence, while rights groups have accused the army of cooperating with settlers.
Israel says strike killed Hamas commander
An Israeli strike on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people, including a Hamas commander. Israel’s military said the commander had helped plan attacks and recruit new members for the militant group.
Officials at Shifa Hospital said Tuesday that five other people were wounded in the strike.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the overnight strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a commander in the Hamas militant group’s northern Gaza brigade. Hamas did not immediately confirm his death.
More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which maintains detailed records that are generally seen as reliable. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half of the fatalities.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
